Cheese can be made from any dairy
animal milk. Fresh raw milk from cows or goats, and store
bought whole milk. One rule of thumb regardless of the source
of your milk is, the fresher the better. When purchasing milk
from the store be sure to check the freshness dates. Don't be
afraid to ask your grocer for milk from their latest delivery.
If you explain what you are using it for they should be very
helpful. Milk should always be kept refrigerated until ready
for use. Store bought milk is homogenized, which
means that the cream particles (butter fat) have been mechanically
broken up into microscopic particles. This is done to prevent
the cream from separating from the milk. Homogenizing and
pasteurizing also alters the milk protein. Unless the cheese
maker compensates for this the milk will not make a satisfactory
curd. To compensate for the processing of
store bought milk we add calcium chloride prior to adding rennet to
the milk mixture. The addition of calcium chloride will help
restore the altered milk protein and aid in the development of a
quality curd. DO NOT USE
ULTRA-PASTEURIZED MILK !
For your first batch of mozzarella cheese we recommend that you use
store bought whole milk. The basic recipe is for 1 gallon whole
milk. After you have mastered the process used to make our
mozzarella, you can experiment with other type of milk. Using Fresh Milk If you have access to fresh
milk from cows, sheep or goats, we encourage you to use it. As
you may already know, the chemistry of fresh milk will vary with the
season, diet, and even the time of day you milk. You will need
to experiment a little to adjust your recipe. Use the recipe
included in your kit as is, then make adjustments as needed.

About
the IngredientsCitric Acid is
used to cause the curds (milk solids) to separate from the whey
(liquid). Mild Lipase
Powder is an enzyme agent extracted from dairy animals. Strict
vegetarians should omit this ingredient.

Calcium
Chloride helps to restore the
balance between calcium and protein in store bought milk. It
may also be needed with fresh milk.Vegetable
Rennet contains no animal products
and has the same coagulating ability as animal rennet when used in
milk that has been ripened. Rennet must be diluted with
distilled water prior to adding to milk so that it will not shock the
milk and distribute evenly as it is added. Rennet tablets will
keep the strength longer of they are kept frozen.Flaked
Salt is a premium grade ultra fine
salt with absolutely no additives. No other salt may be
substituted due to the purity and difference in weight between equal
measures of different grades of salt.Your
Cheese Making Work Area
It is very important that you dedicate your kitchen to making cheese
for the entire process. Do not prepare any other food while you
are making cheese. Milk is very susceptible to unwanted
bacteria infection. It is not difficult to prevent cross
contamination as long as you take care.
To prepare your work area, put all food products away, move all dish
cloths and soiled towels to the laundry room and wash your counters,
sink and stove top with soap and water. Now use a commercial
antibacterial cleaning spray to wipe down all surfaces.

Equipment
Needed You
will need a 6 to 8 quart stainless steel pot. Do not use
aluminum or cast iron. A stainless steel or strong plastic
slotted spoon. A two quart microwave safe mixing bowl,
measuring spoons and a thermometer
which will clearly read between 80 - 160°F.

Mozzarella
Cheese Formula
Place one gallon whole milk into a stainless steel pot. Measure
all of the following ingredients into five individual containers.
This will allow you to make the cheese without worrying about
measurements.

2
teaspoon of citric acid

¼
teaspoon lipase powder in 2 Tablespoons of distilled water

½
teaspoon calcium chloride in 2 Tablespoons of distilled water

½
rennet tablet in ¼ cup distilled water

½ teaspoon flaked salt

Making
the Cheese Place the stock pot
of milk on the stove over medium heat. It is important that you
heat the milk slowly. Sprinkle in the citric acid and mild
lipase powder and diluted calcium chloride while you gently stir.
Heat slowly until the milk reaches 88 degrees. Stir every few
minutes to prevent scorching the milk on the bottom of the pot.
You will begin to see the curd develop. Once the
milk reaches 88°F. stir in the rennet and water mixture.
Continue stirring every few minutes until the milk reaches 105°F.
Developing the Curd Remove from the heat
and let the milk set covered for 20 minutes at 105°F. Curd
(white mass) and whey (greenish liquid) will now be fully separated.

Cooking the Curd
Use a slotted spoon or strainer to transfer the curd to a microwave
safe dish. If the curd is too soft to transfer, let the milk
sit a few more minutes. Pour off as much of the whey as you
can. Gently press the curds together with the spoon and force more
whey out of them. Squeeze out and drain as much whey as
possible.

Place the curd in the
microwave on high for one minute. Remove and press the curds
again to force out more whey. The cheese should begin to mass
together and become sticky. If it does not,
you will need to leave it in the microwave a few seconds longer.
Not all microwaves are equal ! It will not hurt to place the
cheese back in the oven for 20 - 30 seconds more if necessary.
Please note the total time needed for future reference.

Add the flaked salt a little at a time and knead the
cheese with a spoon as you would bread dough. It will become
smooth and shiny. Place the curd back into the microwave and
heat on high for one more minute. Remove from oven and drain
any remaining whey. This time your cheese will be too hot to
handle, about 130 degrees. Stretching
the Cheese Knead the cheese again until it
sticks to the spoon and pulls away from the bowl. When the cheese
begins to stretch like taffy, it is almost done. You can have
some fun now by pulling and stretching the cheese until it is
completely cooled. This is an important step. Stretching
will make the cheese firm and stringy. If you prefer a softer
texture don't stretch as much. Place the cheese in
an air tight container or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Use this cheese with in one week or store it in the freezer for up to
one month. If your cheese is too soft to shred for pizza, place it in
the freezer then shred and use it partly frozen.

Non Microwave Instructions: The microwave is used in order
to bring the temperature of the curds to 140-150°F
so they can be stretched and you can expel more of the whey. If you don’t have a
microwave, you can follow the instructions up to the point at which
you remove the separated curds from the whey. Bring the pot of
whey up to 170°F. Place small
pieces of the curd into a bowl. Ladle some of the hot whey over
the curds and work them together with a spoon or your hands if you’re
wearing rubber gloves (170°F is
hot!). Keep working them until they stick together and you can
begin to see if they’ll stretch. You may have to add more
hot whey to maintain the temperature.
This is similar to the traditional way of making mozzarella but it is
quicker since the milk is directly acidified with citric acid instead
of using bacterial culture.